The top of your thumb doesn't go in the ball? The whole thumb should go in but I digress. Go to the pro shop, tell them the whole story so they can properly bevel the hole for you and this shouldn't occur again.Originally Posted by Rdmonster
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LOL....By the top I meant the portion of my thumb on top and closest to my wrist...this part of the thumb isnt supposed to go in the ball.its maybe a half inch up the thumb (wristward lol) from the second knuckle....A trip to the pro shop is for sure on my list but I'm thinking it may be as much a technique issue as anything or maybe the thumbhole being to big.....Ill keep the boards posted
RD.....I've not only heard of it it happens to me also. Sometimes during practice the nerve at the base of the thumb gets numb for about the first 5 balls or so then it subsides. What I've found is that by taking several practice swings before the lanes come on and endure the pain/numbness then, by the time practice is over it will subside. Very strange feeling, not even sure why, but I do know it's hitting that nerve just right. My thumb is beveled quit a bit so I know it's not that. I'd try a different thumb pitch on another ball and see if that will help.LOL....By the top I meant the portion of my thumb on top and closest to my wrist...this part of the thumb isnt supposed to go in the ball.its maybe a half inch up the thumb (wristward lol) from the second knuckle....A trip to the pro shop is for sure on my list but I'm thinking it may be as much a technique issue as anything or maybe the thumbhole being to big.....Ill keep the boards posted
Bob
I did a deep cleaning on my ball last night and then spent alot of time sticking my thumb in the ball to guage it's fit. I almost think it is too small vs too big. When I fully insert my thumb and press it hard to one side there is little to no gap on the other side. I picked the ball up and could actually feel where the edge of the ball is hitting the nerve. The slug is also perfectly white and round except for the are where the rubbing is. The slug is slightly deformed in this area...almost galled a little. It also has a black mark on it which Im sure is caused by the side of my thumb. My thumb is about 60% better today with full feeling in the pad and only is only numb in the area where the worst affected area is. I can also feel a slight nodule under the surface of the skin in this area....this is big trouble because (according to my research) it's actually fatty deposits and scar tissue forming around the nerve itself.This is not a callous but a small knot under the skin.
I think I need a bigger bevel in my thumb hole as well as having it ovalled. When my thumb is fully inserted into the ball I can feel it touching that spot. I know I can fix it up with tape if I enlarge it and then perhaps bevel some more. I'm going to the pro shop on monday for their opinion on it. My right thumb has actually ind of been through hell with my accident and an injury I got from (ill advised) sparring at the gym. The last thing I need for it to be is numb all the time.
BTW I averaged over 170 in a five game string on Thursday...the event that brought the thumb issue to the fore....
If worst comes to worse you can always try bowling with the other hand. You wouldn't be the first to do so because of injury.
John
I hope to not ever have to bowl lefty...Ill keep the boards posted as to what the pro shop suggests.
realllllly ??????
As I'm sitting here, if I rub my thumb where it hits the the thumb hole on the ball, I can feel the nerve in my thumb and it'll send a shooting shock into my thumb. This is the same feeling I feel, as I start to do those practice swings I mentioned earlier. So I know its a nerve and probably just misplaced from bowling so much for the last 50+ years.
I would definitely have someone in a pro shop look at your thumb hole. Most people do NOT have a round thumb, their thumb is oval when pressed against the inside of a thumb hole. Just because the drills are round doesn't mean that it's going to fit every person. The bevel "should" relieve some of the pressure, but I'd also have him take some out of the sides. Take a few pieces of sand paper with you next time you practice and after you've had the pro shop work on the thumb hole and keep sanding it until it feels comfortable. Good luck, let us know how you make out.
Bob
Bob, That certainly is the nerve you feel....displacing the nerve surgically is actually a non conventional treament for this. I hope that with some work on the ball and being careful the next few weeks my symptoms will alleviate. I can also feel my nerve although I get no pain or stingers when manipulating it. I hope I caught it in time because this can actually turn into a pretty severe problem. Thickening of the nerve sheath with fibrous tissue can cause real and lasting damage. If I quit bowling entirely it could take weeks or months for all the sensation to return (if indeed it ever does)to my thumb...so says one of the docs where I work. The standard treatment is rest and modifying technique/equipment....wearing a splint or a guard...one doctor suggested never putting the entire thumb in the ball...only 3/4 or even (gasp) only up to the first knuckle.
Pro shop tommorow and then updates.
My wife had to have surgery a couple of years ago on a nerve that had moved in her arm. It was causing the pinky to go numb and supposedly if it's not operated on, the hand can go into a claw position. She had it operated on and it's better but little or no feeling in that finger. I would have to think very carefully about having an operation to move a nerve after seeing this happen to her. I don't know how mine happened but it just started a few years ago.
Bob
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